Dirtbox Overland

[sn_85]

Ok,the elephant in the room I guess ? What isn't made somewhere else today ? Business has been being done that way since the 80's. You get the prototype to your quality satisfaction and have it mass produced. Bicycles, motorcycles and automobile manufacturers have been doing that for decades.

And, truth be told, I haven't seen or heard of any failures yet, and I have never, ever seen any RTT hinges that are even in the same category as their optional $2400 billet cnc machined hinge/grab handle package.

I probably wouldn't be able to afford one that actually is made here anyway.

There’s nothing wrong with imported products. My shoes, clothes, duffel bags, laptop, cellphone are likely all made in China or SE Asia somewhere. China has certain production facilities and manufacturing capabilities that the US doesn’t have. My LC is made in Japan and my Ram is made in Mexico. It doesn’t have anything to do with xenophobia.

The point and benefit of Chinese manufacturing is speed, capacity, and price. In this case there is no price benefit. The Dirtbox tray, canopy, camper are priced the same if not more than North American or Aussie made products. The fact that there is now a copy cat of the camper from OVS brings up more questions than answers. In digging around a bit there was a company form British Columbia selling these campers a year ago before they went out of business. They were called BF Campers. So how much “engineering” did Dirtbox or Couch actually do? Seems like none, the blueprint was already there for them. They added a few extra doo dads here and there but that’s about it. I watched a few YT videos and Jay@couch goes on to gush about how much engineering they’ve done and how much time they spent in production with the camper which is essentially all a lie at this point. Not sure I want to put $$$ into a company when I can’t really trust the owner.

This camper is going to be the roof top tents of campers. Dirtbox does not have any design patents on it. Dirtbox and OVS may be 1 and 2 but give it another year and you’ll see at least 3-5 other copy cats. Once you give the design to China they will copy and paste it and put any brand/label they want on it. It’s theirs now.

Delta MKII from BF Campers in Canada.

7 months ago I ordered this camper for my 5' bed Tacoma from BF Campers,they are located in BC, Canada. Here some pictures: Envoyé de mon Pixel 4 XL en utilisant Tapatalk

forum.expeditionportal.com

 

[fourfa]

look, another one: https://www.bynd4x4.com/

 

[sn_85]

look, another one: https://www.bynd4x4.com/

The margins are on these things are extreme too. Someone posted on their IG that they bought the same/similar camper from Alibaba and paid $2300 + $600 shipping from China. No reason to buy marked up China made *hitbox or Bynd4x4 campers when you can get the same camper from Alibaba for less than half the price or you can get a Made in USA products for not much more.

Topo and Oru make wedge style campers right here in the US and they're cheaper than the *hitbox Overland campers.

Mesa

The Mesa, our high quality, durable, lightweight and spacious wedge style camper shell.

www.topotoppers.com

Tenfold | All Season Custom Truck Campers | Oru Designs USA | San Marcos, CA

www.orudesignsusa.com

 

[ritualimage]

I posted on dirtbox overland’s latest post regarding the similarities between ovs and theirs and they assured me they are the creator and ovs is most likely copying them and super pacific both in their design.


Either way, for my needs the dirtbox is a great base for my buildout of a mobile office. Hope this helps.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Looks pretty good to me. A lot of options mine didn't come with...

 

[ritualimage]

I pulled the trigger on the Dirtbox. Will be posting pics of all the joins and doing a series of review videos. Should have it mid May.

 

[TSnider]

From what I can collect, yes these are made in China but they aren't just having these produced, they own the actual manufacturing facility and have the equipment to produce a lot of aluminum extrusion most companies don't. In their videos they seem to go a lot farther in depth than most resellers than don't really have a clue to what they are talking about. I cant confirm any of it though.

And I think their facility is the same one they were building the Unimog parts in all along, so the whole process isnt new for them. Kind of interesting.

 

[Zybane]

Found this:

Billet Grab Handles

When it comes to conquering rugged terrain and navigating challenging trails, having the right gear can make all the difference. Our Dirtbox Overland Billet Aluminum Grab Handles are the ultimate solution for outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers. Crafted to perfection, these handles offer a...

dirtboxoverland.com

$650 for a grab handle, lol.

 

[llamalander]

Lots of people forget ultimate also means last. This fits up there with last on my list-

 

[sn_85]

From what I can collect, yes these are made in China but they aren't just having these produced, they own the actual manufacturing facility and have the equipment to produce a lot of aluminum extrusion most companies don't. In their videos they seem to go a lot farther in depth than most resellers than don't really have a clue to what they are talking about. I cant confirm any of it though.

And I think their facility is the same one they were building the Unimog parts in all along, so the whole process isnt new for them. Kind of interesting.

So they own the factory but there was another company that was making the exact same camper a whole year before them? And now OVS is building a camper that looks exactly the same? I'm having a lot of trouble believing any of their claims. About the only thing they do themselves is manufacture some billet grab handles and end caps which they add to the camper once they reach stateside.

 

[Vst]

Yeah after watching there videos I thought they built them there selves but after looking at the OVS one it looks almost identical so not sure anymore the OVS is starting $8k I might look into it here’s a link for anyone also interested

MagPak - Camper Shell/Roof Top Tent Combo W/Lights, Rear Molle Panel, Side Tie Downs, Front & Rear Windows

Shop our MagPak - Camper Shell Roof Top Tent Combo with Lights, Rear Molle Panel, Side Tie Downs, Front & Rear Windows for your next outdoor adventure.

overlandvehiclesystems.com

 

[PHeller]

I recently saw Super Pacific Campers and noticed a lot of similarities between their stuff and many Chinese produced products. I was absolutely convinced they were just importing their campers and reselling them at 3x the markup.

Then I saw this piece on the Radavist: https://theradavist.com/super-pacific-campers-review/

Even if they are importing parts and assembling in the states, they appear to be doing a hell of a lot of assembling.

Either way, I'm kinda over wedge-style soft-sided pop-ups for $10k when there are so many more spacious options for that price.

 

[sn_85]

I recently saw Super Pacific Campers and noticed a lot of similarities between their stuff and many Chinese produced products. I was absolutely convinced they were just importing their campers and reselling them at 3x the markup.

Then I saw this piece on the Radavist: https://theradavist.com/super-pacific-campers-review/

Even if they are importing parts and assembling in the states, they appear to be doing a hell of a lot of assembling.

Either way, I'm kinda over wedge-style soft-sided pop-ups for $10k when there are so many more spacious options for that price.

It's the opposite. Super Pacific designed their campers years ago. China and other companies reverse engineered their campers and thats why you see so many copy cats. For example look at this "company" from Canada that is selling campers that are clearly SP knockoffs.

Home - Allterra Tech

Truck Camper Topper There are no limits with this ultra light weight and easy to set up truck camper topper. At 350lbs It goes anywhere you want to go with minimal impact on fuel economy or handling of your truck. integrated canopy and tent It is so much more then just a rooftop tent on […]

allterratech.com

 

[TSnider]

So they own the factory but there was another company that was making the exact same camper a whole year before them? And now OVS is building a camper that looks exactly the same? I'm having a lot of trouble believing any of their claims. About the only thing they do themselves is manufacture some billet grab handles and end caps which they add to the camper once they reach stateside.

Fair point, but I have to say that it does happen. A buddy of mine is a mechanical engineer in Denver and designed a brush hog from the ground up designed to be pulled behind a side by side. He prototyped, custom fabbed parts, etc. He had to build 2 of them, and ship them to the china plant to be deconstructed so it could be mass produced.

He said the reason he had to build 2, and had to build multiples of everything he did when he worked there, is because basically every time one will go missing at customs. The brush hog he designed and built was on the market from a another company MONTHS before his companies hit US shores. So it is a thing that happens. No clue if this is the case for Dirtbox, but I know they probably were having prototypes shipped back and fourth if they were indeed designing stuff.

 

[Thergood]

Just as a point of clarification - I know everyone is throwing around "exactly the same" here, but they're not exactly the same. If you look at the OVS Magpak the doors look like Super Pacific doors with Dirtbox-style handles and L track. It has straight sides like the Super Pacific. Inside it has the same electric race/cutouts as the Super Pacific. The wedge hinges are also similar to Super Pacific. The tent appears exactly the same as the Dirtbox. OVS is clearly copying from a few different designs to produce theirs. Are they produced in the same factory or just stealing design? Who knows, could be both.

Even though they've since made a bunch of changes, it certainly looks like Dirtbox started with the BF Campers design. BF Campers claimed "Designed and Assembled" in Canada. Maybe Dirtbox bought the design from them, maybe Dirtbox was producing the parts for them in their overseas facilities and they just took over after BF went out of business. Maybe they bought BF Campers. Again, who knows. It's all speculation. "Exactly the same" is hyperbole.

Dirtbox certainly has the largest installer/dealer network out of any of these companies that I've seen, so I'm sure the quality and longevity will speak for itself soon enough, good or bad. I'm going to put hands on one next Saturday at a Rigs & Coffee / Open House at MLO in Eastern PA. I'll see what's what for myself then.